Just to be sure there is no doubt about what I mean by a prison Toastmasters club, I am specifically referring to a typical Toastmasters club having the typical Toastmasters functions: Speaker, Evaluator, Table Topics Master, Grammarian, etc., except that all the members of the club are confined to a correctional institution. In other words, the club is made up entirely of prisoners and is run by prisoners for the benefit of prisoners.

Unless you already have some background in prison Toastmasters clubs, you’re probably asking yourself: Why? Why have Toastmasters clubs in prison? Are we trying to create master criminal leaders? Are we trying to create thieves who can clearly and concisely say, “Give me your money?” Don’t we have enough smooth-talking con-men? Why, why, why, would we want Toastmasters to be associated with prisons?

Those are fair questions. Before I address them, think about your own Toastmasters experience for a minute. How have you benefited from Toastmasters?

Now, to answer your question: Why have Toastmasters clubs in prison? Because Toastmasters clubs benefit inmates in much the same way they benefit you. They gain: an ability to accept criticism, an ability to speak business English, increased self confidence and self esteem, increased likelihood of finding and holding a job, and improved social skills. Consider the testimony of a prison official and an inmate:

Warden Burl Cain, Angola Prison, Louisiana
"... Toastmasters has given those interested in our maximum security population an organization to join that promotes positive goals such as improving self-worth, self-esteem, basic life skills, and friendly competition. We have found that when an inmate gets truly involved with a positive organization such as Toastmasters, this inmate becomes a better inmate with little or no disciplinary problems. Then, by his own actions, becomes a positive force who promotes positive attitudes and behavior to his peers."

Judge Larry Gist, Chairman Texas Board of Criminal Justice Judicial Advisory Council:
"This program has done wonders to improve the self-esteem and personal pride of those offenders who volunteered to participate, To describe their efforts as impressive would be a gross understatement. This is exactly the type of program that should be in every TDCJ unit and made available to those interested in replacing their negative lifestyle with a positive self-image.”

Jerome C., Offender, LeBlanc Prison, Texas
“I firmly believe that the combined lack of self-confidence and an acute inability to communicate effectively contributes profoundly to self-destructive behavior, thus only by overcoming these obstacles and cultivating strong social skills will we hope to develop the ingredients for successful living. Hence, the need for programs like Toastmasters in American prisons. “

Perhaps you don’t care about inmate welfare. I must admit, I never concerned myself with people in jail. They committed a crime, they deserve to be in jail, and they need to be taught a lesson. They need to be locked up at the lowest possible cost to the taxpayer until they have served their complete sentence.

My attitude started to change in 1995 when I was a participant in a Toastmasters District competition. Two of my fellow competitors were accompanied by guards. The guards got my attention, but what held my attention was the way the inmates behaved. They were well mannered, quiet, seemingly intelligent. I had never been near a convict before. Had these two men been foaming at the mouth and saying foul things about my mother, they would have fit my stereotypical image, and I could have ignored them. Instead, they acted like - me. They acted like - you.

After this experience, I wanted to learn more about prison Toastmasters clubs. I learned that Toastmasters clubs have been in prisons for 30 years. There currently are 60 prison clubs in the US. Louisiana has the highest percentage of prison clubs. Last year I wrote to many of these clubs and asked them what their recidivism rates were. Most clubs did not track their performance, but the ones that did claimed a rate between 0 and 10%.

Now, you are justified in thinking that this rate is low only because Toastmasters clubs attract the best inmates- the ones who would never have gone back to jail even if there were no Toastmasters clubs. That’s just what I used to think - until I spoke with people who are involved with the program:

District Judge Robert Downing, Louisiana
“Better speaking skills not only helps former inmates get jobs, but they also help them stay out of trouble. Part of Toastmasters training is learning to accept criticism without resorting to violence. In its first five years at the C. Paul Phelps Correctional Center, only one of 80 inmates released after participating in a Toastmasters program was rearrested.”

Senior Warden Garland Flakes, LeBlanc Prison, Texas
"The opportunity to share in Toastmasters has made such an impact on the offender's character and self-confidence. I have seen offenders change. They have become involved in outreach programs. They have become more respectful of the guards and are better able to communicate with them. They have become model prisoners. Through the success of their example, the conduct of other prisoners has improved. The Toastmasters dynamics of constructive criticism and speech improvement will enhance these offenders' ability to become better citizens and present themselves as such.

Wouldn’t you agree that prison Toastmasters clubs benefit prisoners?

Perhaps you’re thinking, “I have never been in jail. I don’t have any friends or family in jail. There is nothing in this program that benefits me and I am not interested.”

You know what, you’re right. If there is nothing in it for you, then you should have no interest in prison Toastmasters clubs. After all, its not like supporting cancer where even good people can get it through no fault of their own.

But, even if you will never personally know anyone who’ll serve time in jail, perhaps you might benefit in some other way. You may have heard this saying: “A rising tide floats all boats.” Perhaps you will benefit if society as a whole benefits.

You ask, how could prison Toastmasters clubs benefit society? The benefit to society is less crime, stronger families, and saving $20,000 per year for every person who does not return to jail, plus released members will likely become tax paying citizens.

Allow me to give you some statistics: fifty to seventy percent of all released inmates return to jail. That means that out of every 100 people released from jail, on average, 60 will return. You know what the recidivism rate is for Prison Toastmasters. Its five to ten percent. Yes, five to ten percent. So, if the inmates are members of a Toastmasters club only eight, on average, will return. Let’s do the math. Sixty people going back to jail costs 60 X $20,000 = $1,200,000. Eight people going back costs 8 X $20,000 = $160,000. Savings per 100 released prisoners: $1,200,000 - $160,000 = $1,040,000/year. And what is the cost for putting 100 people through a Toastmasters program? About $1,000 if they charter as a Toastmasters gavel club. About $5000 if they charter as a standard Toastmasters club.

Let’s consider crime rates. If we assume that, on average, a person commits five crimes before he is caught and convicted, those 60 released prisoners that are heading back to jail will commit 60 X 5 = 300 crimes before they are rearrested, compared to 8 X 5 = 40 for the released Toastmasters member. That’s a reduction of 240 crimes for every 100 inmates who participate in the program.

How about families? The number one indicator of someone going to prison is not educational level, or race, or where they grew up. Its whether or not they had a parent in prison. If prisoners don’t return to jail, they will be able to be home with their families and fewer new criminals will result.

Would you agree that prison Toastmasters programs benefit society?

Perhaps you feel that if it is intended to benefit society than society should have responsibility for putting Toastmasters clubs in prison and it should not be the responsibility of local Toastmasters clubs.

I wish society would take on that responsibility. In fact, there is a group that is trying to increase the spread of Toastmasters prison clubs by getting society and prison management involved. I’ll talk more about that later. But, even while it’s benefiting society, “free-world” Toastmasters clubs also benefit from the prison program.

Your club and area benefit through publicity, community and corporate involvement, increased membership, increased motivation, as well as speaking and leadership opportunities. Let me tell you how my club and area benefited from starting a prison club. We were featured in every local newspaper. One of the stories was picked up by the Associated Press, reprinted in a West Texas paper and led to the creation of a Federal prison club near El Paso. We were on every radio and TV station broadcasting from our area and have since been called back for repeat visits. One of the presidential candidates discussed the prison program on the air and encouraged his supporters to develop speaking skills by joining Toastmasters. As a result of soliciting DuPont for donations, Toastmasters became DuPont’s oral communication program of choice. Approximately 15 people from the LeBlanc prison club joined Toastmasters – which helped my Area achieve Toastmasters Select Distinguished Area status.

Wouldn’t you agree that supporting a prison club can benefit your club and area?

Perhaps you don’t care about your club or area. Perhaps you are only in this for yourself. If we assume that you don’t benefit from improvements in society, and that you don’t benefit from a stronger club or area, you can still personally benefit by being involved in prison Toastmasters.

Forty percent of our members have participated in demonstration meetings within the prison and have benefited from their involvement. I have become better known throughout my plant site, community and church. Some of our members have presented talks at local civic and business organizations. One person received a job offer as a result of one of his presentations.

Another benefit to you, perhaps the best benefit, is the joy that comes from seeing the difference you personally can make in someone’s life. If you are a Christian, remember that Jesus told his followers to visit people in prison. When was the last time you visited someone in prison?

If you agree that you can find some benefit from prison involvement, let’s talk about what is needed to get more prison Toastmaster clubs going. Here are a few basic steps:

Visit a prison club to get acclimated

Write a letter to your local Warden
• Give an overview of the Toastmasters program
• State when you will call him to discuss the opportunity
• If he is not there when you call, talk to his secretary; find out his schedule
• In your letter, establish credibility, background, references; start with a hook but not with an obvious gimmick

Call the Warden
• Ask if he’s read the letter
• Ask if he has any TI experience
• Ask if he has room in his program schedule
• Ask to meet with him and a coordinator
• Let him know that TI is a program only for people who want to be involved; it’s a niche program and is effective within that niche

Have a meeting with the Warden
• Go over credentials
• Provide some background of Prison Toastmasters clubs
• Help him see what it does for him
• Make a sales pitch
• Define what you need from him; define what you will provide.
• Leave room for flexibility
• Give him the opportunity to own the program
• Issues will probably be frequency, location, number of members, volunteer presence, material storage, meeting duration
• Make things as easy as you can for the warden
• Wardens like to be in control and they do not like problems
• Explain your motives
• You need to earn his trust
• He is used to people lying to him
• Schedule a series of demonstration meetings to transfer responsibility to the prison members

You have a typical population of 2000 inmates– a captive audience – but only need 20 to make a club. Depend on the prison to screen out the curious.

First Demonstration Meeting
Give the inmates what they don’t have - control and responsibility. Give each of them the agenda. Don’t give them your wisdom. Be open. Explain your motives. You will need to earn their trust. Don’t talk down to them. Don’t assume they are stupid. You can and should assume they are in jail because of something they did. No matter how much they might look and act like people on the outside, never forget that they did something to be where they are.

Involve them quickly. Have a few table topics at the first meeting for them to respond to. Ask for volunteers. Don’t force. There will be no shortage of volunteers.

Second Demonstration Meeting
Decide on a club name. Recruit volunteers for the next meeting. Transfer functions to them at a rapid pace. They can handle it and will put in the preparation needed to do the job right. Let them know they will be electing officers at the next meeting. Let them know they will need to make some decisions, such as: How long should the officers terms be? What is the minimum length of time a nominee should have left in his prison term? You can make some decisions for them – you are the person with experience. But let them make some of the decisions, too.

Third Demonstration Meeting
Take votes on length of officers’ terms. Ask people to talk about why they think the term should be X. I suggest the term be 3 months for a very short-term facility (6 months or less) and 6 months for long-term facilities. Ask people to nominate candidates. Tell the nominees they should decline immediately if they don’t want or qualify for the nomination. Have each nominee explain in 30 seconds why he should be the person elected. Vote with ballots. If no candidate gets a majority, have a run-off between the top two. Elect the president first. Explain that if a person does not win in one position he should be open to run at the next position. People can self nominate. It’s not a statement of ego. It is a statement of being willing to work for the benefit of the club and that you are willing to step out from the group. Provide the officers with a list of things to work on so they have some structure to their initial meetings. Try to meet with the officers before the next club meeting.

Send in charter documents to TI.

Fourth Demonstration Meeting
Focus on the offenders picking up responsibility for their club - become almost invisible. Recruit functional stewards - someone who will be responsible for being an expert in a particular role and will have the responsibility to teach and guide others.

Fifth Demonstration Meeting
Focus on the members being independent. By this meeting, they should have responsibility for all functions. You should address them at the end of the meeting. Praise! Praise! Praise! Have a prison official do the same.

Tenth Meeting – Chartering
Focus on publicity and strengthening relationships with sponsors and officials. Give all members a personalized charter member certificate and a membership card. Atmosphere should be festive. Provide refreshments. Have media, politicians, judges, sponsors, church people, and prison officials present. Milk this for all the long-term support and publicity you can get.

Sustain the Club

Once the club is started, it needs to be sustained. Since it probably won't have any experienced Toastmasters members, it will need some on-going guidance. The support from caring people means a lot to the members and will make it more likely for them to want to stay a part of Toastmasters when they are released. Visit at least once per month, but not every meeting (unless required by the prison). Arrange for a Toastmasters club or a church group to pick up responsibilities. Many churches are looking for a low-cost, low-effort project to call their own. Develop and maintain success rate statistics. Encourage prison alumni to donate - drive the point home that they have some responsibility to the future members. Hold an area speech contest in the prison. Identify ways to get them involved in outreach programs. Keep in touch with alumni and report their successes to the members.

Promote the spread of clubs

If you don't want to go into a prison, you can work behind the scenes to promote the spread and development of prison clubs. Here are some ways Toastmasters in remote locations can network together through an organization called Taking Flight:

1. Contact all prison Toastmasters clubs to form an information exchange.

2. Work with a university Criminal Justice Program to investigate the concept and success of prison Toastmasters.

3. Work with a university to produce a documentary to generate media attention.

4. Contact the national media to encourage coverage - television first, then magazines, and newspapers.

5. Contact people in political and judicial positions and encourage them to make the prison system more receptive to the program and to encourage its use.

6. Assemble a base of active volunteers.

7. Conduct Internet research to explore new opportunities.

8. Network through the Taking Flight organization to help in a coordinated effort.

Toastmasters in prison: Changing lives, one at a time.